Freya Came to Lindblum
by Gabe Colbaugh
Summary: A look at the first meeting between Freya and a young Zidane


Walking through the paved streets of the city was an odd feeling for the traveler, her eyes having set sight on little civilization beyond the odd farmhouse. Her travels recently had been long and arduous, mucking through the mud of well-worn merchant trails through some of the less friendly country. Finally her caravan had reached its destination, the city of Lindblum. The woman felt a bit of awe as she gazed at the technological wonder that was the city, certainly more so than her own home.

Walking further into the city Freya carefully adjusted her lance and pack to show she was there in a manner of peace. Both guards glanced to the rat-woman and didn't make any motion to stop her. Both kingdoms were a peace at the time, and their leaders were known to be fast friends. No threat had come out of Burmecia in quite some time, and neither figured that a single resident with a spear would cause any trouble. Adjusting her gear the woman continued into the city.

Up was where the dragon warrior's gaze went more often than not. The buildings were taller and grander than anything she had seen before. But what caught her attention more than anything was all of the airships that were flying overhead. She had seen one of the flying machines before, though never so many and never so close. 'How could they all be up there and not crash into each other,' she wondered.

Shaking the thought from her head Freya reminded herself she wasn't here to be a tourist. Quickening her pace she angled herself off to the building she saw marked as the inn. She wasn't there as a tourist, but she was sick of sleeping outside surrounded by the snoring of merchants and the smell of chocobos out in the field. The warrior though she'd never get the smell of wet feathers out of her nose.

'Don't complain, Freya,' she reminded herself, 'it does pay the bills and helps to get you around more safely.' Stopping short of the handle that lead into the building that thought caused her to stop and ponder. She was a proud Dragon Knight at one point, defending king and country from whatever threatened her home. Now she was merely an outcast, forced out of her home and now on the road selling her services to the highest bidder. Was she selling her identity just to go off on some fool quest?

Shaking her head the woman pushed her way into the inn and dismissed the notion. She was on a mission, the dragon warrior reminded herself. She had to find out what had happened to Sir Fratley. Moving up to the innkeeper at the desk Freya continued to repeat that mantra multiple times. She had a job to do, and that was that. Nothing was going to deter her from discovering the one thing she wanted to know above all else.

"Hello and welcome to Lindblum," the middle aged gentleman called to her with a smile. Freya found it somewhat infections and returned the gesture in her own small way.

"Greetings. I was hoping to rent a room for a couple of days," Freya was a bit curious at the strange look the man gave her as she stated that.

"I'm sorry, miss, but all of our rooms are booked through next week," The Burmecian frowned at the words, wondering if she was going to be forced to sleep outside a bed again that night.

"Do you know of any other inns that I could get a room at?" If he couldn't place her in a room maybe he knew of someone that could.

"Well, there is a small place over in the industrial district that might have a room. It's more of a bar than an inn, but they do have a few rooms available." Nodding Freya thanked the man and received directions on how to get there. Walking out of the inn she headed for the air cab station with more than a bit of curiosity. She'd heard of, but never seen, one of the infamous air cabs. She'd heard that they took people around the city with a far greater speed than anything previous did. 'Ah well,' she thought to herself, 'it'll just be another adventure.'

As she entered the sight of the craft caught the young warrior by surprise. A mini-airship pulled into the docking bay just as she entered, causing her to blink a few times. Several people exited the car as the contraption sat there waiting to take her wherever it was she needed to go. An attendant seeing her confusion walked towards her with a bit of an amused grin.

"Can I help you, miss? You seem a bit lost." Glancing over at the man the dragon knight blinked a few more times before responding.

"Yes, I need to get to the industrial district," with that said the man nodded and motioned for her to follow him. Doing so Freya looked around in wonder at everything that was inside the station. She stopped just shy of bumping into the attendant realizing he'd stopped next to the air cab.

"Just hop in here and it'll take you where you need to go," Freya hesitated for a moment before nodding and entering into the vehicle.

"Thank you for your assistance," The attendant nodded and motioned for her to enter. Seeing that the vehicle was getting ready to move she hopped in and found herself a seat. Sitting back the woman looked forward as the craft took off.

As the craft floated into the air Freya gripped the armrest provided tightly. The sudden lurch had caught her off-guard, but it didn't take her long to relax once again. Looking out through the window her eyes widened in astonishment at the view the height provided her. As fascinating as the city was from the ground, it was even more astonishing form the sky. Buildings towered above the citizens scurrying beneath, seeming as insects to the warrior. It was when the craft flew by the main spire of the castle that held the city that she lost her breath in astonishment.

The center tower of the grand construction towered over everything, casting a shadow over the rest of the city like a benevolent ruler. The sight of the behemoth, awed by the aura that seemed to radiate from the very building itself amazed Freya. Cid Zabool, the regent of the kingdom, was well known for his winsome and kindness. It seemed to the warrior that that reputation seemed to lend itself to the very feel of his home.

The call from the cab's pilot woke the rat-woman out of her reverie and snapping her back to reality. Gathering her belongings she moved out of the craft after it landed, gently setting foot on the cobbled floor of the station. It took her a moment to fully get her bearings, realizing the exit wasn't to far away. Picking up her pack she was off and through the door, exiting into the industrial section of the massive city.

Freya noticed that this particular section of town seemed to have a more down to earth feel to it. She'd heard before that this was where many of the engineers in the city lived and worked. The architecture and decoration of the section reflected that and gave her a sense of pragmatism. Turning to a passing worker the warrior asked for directions. Thanking the man she took her possessions and headed in the direction she'd been told to go.

It didn't take her long to get to the pub, her long legs making the trip that much quicker. Stopping before the building Freya took in the sight of the place. It was more decorative than the rest of that section of town, though not by much. A sign tacked to the wall caught her attention as it proudly proclaimed the places specials. Shaking her head the warrior pushed her way in.

The place was alive, that was for sure. It seemed she'd picked the busy time on which to make her entrance. Showing her way past a couple of slightly drunken workers she fought to get further inside. Tempted to just hop over the rabble that was in her way Freya suppressed the urge. It would probably just end up being more trouble than it was worth. Finally the warrior woman pushed her way to the counter.

"Excuse me," Freya addressed the tender as soon as he came into range, "I was told you might have a room for rent…" The tender cut her off for a moment and turned to deliver drinks to a couple of the men near her. After that was accomplished he finally turned his full attention to her.

"Now what was that ya wanted?" The dragon warrior adjusted herself to not be leaned on by the other patrons.

"Yes, I was told by the innkeeper in the commercial section that you might have some rooms available," the tender seemed to sit there for a moment, reaching for a glass and a towel to start cleaning the vessel.

"Well, I'm not sure if we have any rooms open at the time…" Freya's face started to fall as she heard the words. It seemed she was going to be stuck sleeping under the stars again. It was then that a slightly higher pitched voice piped in on their conversation.

"Oh c'mon, Pops, didn't you have those two engineers leave this morning?" The lancer looked over to where the voice came from and saw a bright eyed and smiling young teenager. She was initially surprised to see such a young lad in the place, though the tender didn't seem to mind at all.

"Well yeah, but…" the man behind the counter started again.

"But what?" the young human interrupted again, "have you rented it out again? I haven't seen anyone go into the place," the tender sighed, putting his glass down and reaching under the counter.

"It's a hundred gil a night," Freya noted the odd hesitation in the man's voice as he told her all of this. Snapping out of her surprise the woman reached into her pack and pulled out the required funds. Pops shoved a key over to her shortly there after.

"Don't worry about directions, Pops, I'll show her where the room is," and the youth hopped off of his seat, angling towards the stairs. Freya almost gasped in surprise when she went to follow him, a rather nice shock sticking out and up at her. The boy moved through the crowd nonchalantly, tail wavering gently as if caught by a breeze.

Realizing that she was staring the warrior gathered her belongings and headed after the youth. She wasn't quite as coordinated at getting through the crowed as the other had been, though she made due. She felt a little guilty at using his tail as a beckon; being forced to start at the one thing that separated him from most. It still helped her through the mass of people to get to the small stairs that lead up. Going in that direction she finished the remainder of the distance to where the lad stood.

"This one'll be your room," he chimed in his obviously changing voice. Freya smiled in spite of herself, pushing the key into the lock and opening the door.

"And don't mind Pops to much," the young boy continued to chatter as if they'd known each other for quite a while, "he was in the war a bunch of years back and still doesn't trust anyone not from Lindblum," Freya nodded her head slightly, pressing forward into the room. 

The place was somewhat sparse as far as rooms went. A small bed rested in one corner though it seemed well kept and comfortable enough. A chest with lock sat at the foot of the bed as if it held a lonely vigil over the room as well as its own contents. A single rug lay over the bare wood floor, offering the rooms only neat decoration with its dull colors. A simple oak table and matching stools were the last bits of furniture to round out the lackluster contents.

"Rather cozy," Freya found herself commenting out loud. The boy chuckled and nodded, inviting himself in with her.

"Well, its more of a bar here than an inn. The room renting is just to offer a little extra income," the warrior moved further in and made her way to the chest. Lifting the lid she placed her spare things into the contraption. Gently lowering the lid she clicked the heavy lock closed with a flick of the key.

"The name's Zidane," the youth suddenly said, catching the glance by surprise. Spinning around she looked into he face of the smiling boy and returned the gesture.

"I am Freya…of Burmecia," she almost added her former title into the introduction but pushed it aside. It had been two long years since she'd gone by Dragon Knight and she felt she no longer could hold true claim to the title. No, not until she could return with him.

"Burmecia, eh? Haven't been there yet," Freya couldn't help but smile at his openness. It was going to either make him happy or get him into serious trouble, she thought to herself, "though Baku said I could go there one of these days."

"Baku?" the lancer inquired. Zidane shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned against a nearby wall. It was then that Freya saw the simple dagger that rested at the boy's side. She wondered at first how such a young lad could be so at ease with a weapon.

"My dad, as it were," the explanation seemed simple enough, though she didn't know what he meant by as it were, "He knows a lot about what goes on around here and goes a lot of places," Freya eyes seemed to light up at that.

"Did you say knows a lot of what goes on around here?" Zidane nodded, "So would he know of people who have gone through the city?" he seemed to think that over for a minute before shrugging.

"Depends on who it s and when it was," the lancer did everything she could to hold back her growing excitement. 'Don't jump to any conclusions,' she reminded herself.

"Is there any chance I could meet with this Baku?" Zidane eyed her for a moment as if appraising her motives.

"Depends. Who are you tryin' to find?" Zidane saw her shoulders slump as she prepared to answer. He kicked himself for being so nosy but let her go on.

"Someone very special to me that I've been searching for a while," the youth pushed off the old wall, walking towards the Burmecian a little.

"Umm, sorry for asking. I didn't mean to…" He was cut off with a shake of the warrior woman's head.

"It is alright, Zidane," Bringing herself up tall and proud she took in a deep breath. The boy couldn't help but feel a little awed by the sight, his first time seeing a noble dragon knight, though he had no clue.

"His name is Sir Fratley. He and I were," she chose her words carefully, "Very close."

"Why would he leave such a lovely lady?" Zidane simultaneously congratulated himself for the smooth line and berated himself for tossing a line at a woman with a man. And not just any woman, but one who was a giant walking rat. Freya grinned a little inspite of herself, though normally shoe wouldn't book with such talk, but it was cute coming from a little human youth.

"He had his own reasons," was all she offered in return. Zidane didn't push the subject and respected that not everyone wanted everything shared about their lives. Instead the young lad brought his small hand t his chin as if considering something.

"Tell you what," he started slowly, his voice sounding as if she had pushed him to say what he was about to say, "Normally I wouldn't do this, but for such a pretty face I'll arrange a meeting." Freya visibly brightened at the news causing Zidane to grin that crooked grin of his a bit more.

"I…I don't know what to say," the lancer dipped into a deep bow, her large brimmed hat coming to cover all but the tips of her snow white nose, "Thank you, Zidane. You have my eternal thanks." The lad waved off the declaration and gave his own bow.

"My pleasure, Freya," both straightened and looked at the other. A brief moment of silence filled the room and proved and odd contrast to the filled conversation just moments ago. It was only a moment longer before the younger of the two spoke up.

"Well, I'm going to get and talk to Baku," slowly the tail crept towards the door, owner not far behind it, "You get some rest and don't sweat Pops. He's more bark than bite." Freya chuckled lightly and nodded.

"I shall remember that. Goodnight then, Zidane," the young human waved and moved out the door.

"See ya tomorrow," and with that the door shut behind him with an audible click. Freya reminded herself over and over again that it didn't mean she'd find Fratley, but it was nice to finally have a chance at a lead. Moving back to the simple bead the lancer sat for a moment and pondered the possibilities that the new day would bring.

Freya woke up later than she had intended the next morning. Sun light pierced the less than adequate shade enough for her to finally roll off the rather comfortable bed. Still slightly groggy from the process of waking up the warrior none the less began to prepare for the hopefully productive day. Cheerful chirping from the birds outside helped to lend to the quietly optimistic mood she was feeling on that particular morning.

With her last preparations completed the lancer pushed her way outside and down towards the bar. The smell of food wafted up with an inviting scent that reminded her stomach how hungry she was. Stropping for a moment to make sure she had some funds for the day, the warrior then continued on after satisfying herself she did.

Relief came to her upon seeing that Pops was not residing behind the counter this morning. Making her way over Freya quietly took a seat at the bar and waited for the tender to come over, standing just high enough to reach over the counter. The young woman gave a flip of her chocolate-brown hair before she addressed the lancer.

"Can I help you?" her voice was friendly enough, putting Freya a bit more at ease. Nodding once she looked around a moment before answering the tender.

"I will have the stew that that man is having," the young woman glanced over to the indicated man before looking back.

"Want anything to drink with that?"

"Water," was the response and the tender went to get the order. Freya sat back lightly, planning out the day in her head. It was then that she realized that she hadn't figured out how she was going to get a hold of Zidane. Panic started to swell in her heart before she wrestled it back down. This was her only lead in the city in tracking down Fratley, but she couldn't give up just yet. Zidane seemed honest enough after all. She doubted he'd just forget about his promise. Would he?

Before she could become any more worried the young woman returned bearing a bowl and a small mug. Gripped in one of her hands was a small, crumpled piece of paper. Resting it down next to the earthware bowl she smiled lightly at the dragon knight.

"Zidane asked us to deliver this to you earlier this morning," with a slightly bigger grin she turned, flipping her chocolate locks and went to deal with the other customers.

Freya felt her heart calm instantly as relief filled her. Picking up the note she unfolded I carefully and read the words inside. A grin spread over her face as she found instructions inside on when and where to meet the youth. The lancer glanced to the clock on the wall as she set the paper back onto the scarred countertop. She had plenty of time yet and planned to use it. Freya reached for the spoon provided and proceeded to have the first relaxing meal she'd had in quite some time.

Stepping off the air cab in the theatre district brought a small amount of excitement to the warrior-woman. Glancing about the stone structure she strained to spot the small human she was here to see. It took her a bit of pushing through the small crowd but she finally caught sight of Zidane.

"There you are!" the youth greeted her with a fair amount of enthusiasm. Freya smiled back at the youth and fell in line behind him as Zidane headed out the door, "It took a bit of convincing, but Baku said he'd talk to you."

"I am in your debt, Zidane," the boy just shrugged off the praise and continued around the bend, heading down a series of stairs.

"Don't mention it. Nothing wrong with helping someone in need," Freya chuckled lightly at the comment, a little surprised at the selflessness that the lad was exhibiting. It was rather refreshing for a change, she thought. A few more turns and soon the rat-warrior found herself before a tall and distinguished building. She paused for a moment to look it over; the sound of a bell chiming seemed to sing from the entrance.

"You ready?" Zidane asked, interrupting her reverie. Nodding she made her way inside after her tour guide. Inside the building was just as inspiring as the out, with gears and gizmos everywhere. Each of them connected to the giant bell that rested in one window of equal magnitude. So that's where the sound came from, she told herself. A boisterous "ahhchooo!" drew her attention away from the device and to one of the largest men she'd ever seen before.

"So you're the one Zidane was tellin' me about." He was a good head taller than she was and at least three times as round. A maintained if somewhat bush beard ran away from an old looking pilots helmet complete with goggles that blocked any hope of Freya truly looking the man in the eyes. Two odd ears topped out of the leather hat, making the dragon knight wonder if that was where the lad got his tail.

"I am Freya Crescent," she snapped to attention as she introduced herself, "thank you for meeting with me, Baku," the man waved it off in a gesture that reminded her of the younger human.

"Don't mention it. It was the only way I could get him to shut up!" the man laughed as he spotted Zidane's chagrined look. Freya also smiled a little before turning back to Baku.

"He said that you heard and know a lot about what went on in Lindblum" the older man puffed out his chest in pride at the statement.

"Sure do. I know just 'bout everything happening in my yard," Freya blinked at the odd terminology for a moment before continuing with her inquiry.

"I was wondering if you'd heard about a warrior from Burmecia by the name of sir Fratley had come through here any time recently?" Baku brought a rough hand up to his bearded chin as if thinking. The lancer leaned forward in anticipation, hoping that he might even have an inkling of where he was.

"Well," he drawled out slowly, "I might know some information on him and I might not,"

"Oh c'mon, Baku!" Zidane suddenly chimed in. Freya had almost forgotten about the boy as his voice startled her, "You're not gonna charge her for the info are you?" Baku laughed loudly at the words, causing a flush to paint the youth's cheeks.

"Kid, business is business. If I gave it away for free every time you took a liking to someone I'd be broke!" The look of anger was evident on the younger's face, his fists clenching into balled up fists. Zidane leaned forward as if to fight back but was stilled as the dragon knight rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It is all right, Zidane. I have no right to ask him to give me the information for free," She glanced back up and at the smiling older man. Her free hand reached for the small purse at her side and pulled it away from her belt. Holding it up she did her best to look into Baku's eyes, "So do you know anything about him?"

"He was here 'bout two or so months ago to do some training with the local guards here. He took off and headed west from what I've heard," Freya's face visibly fell at the news. She'd hoped for something more concrete, no matter how much she'd told herself not to get her hops up. Glancing down she saw the look of sympathy splashed across Zidane's face. Smiling just a hint back at the boy her gaze then went back to Baku.

"Thank you for the information. I believe this is yours," the purse flew at the man with a flick of her wrist. A brief flight later it was in his hand, the man smiling a little less than before.

"Sorry it wasn't the news you were hopin' for," Freya did her best to merely shrug it off. She brought herself up tall then, befitting one who was a dragon knight at one point.

"It isn't your fault," she said calmly, her demeanor belying the quiet sorrow that had populated her heart, "and its no more than I expect at any given time.

"He really means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Freya looked again at the lad by her side, a sorrowful smile told him everything before the words even left her lips.

"He and I are…very close. He was supposed to return to me sometime ago," Freya shook her head then as if to clear her mind, "Either way, thank you again for the information. If you'll excuse me, I should get ready…"But her words were cut off as a scream echoed in from the outside. All three of them raced out, eyes moving in all directions in order to see where the yell came from. Another call caught their attention as they all suddenly looked up.

"Above them was the figure of someone slightly smaller than Zidane hanging from a pole that extended from the building. Baku and Zidane both gasped as they figured out who the struggling figure was, a hammer waving about in one hand clued them into the identity of their friend.

"Cinna!" the youth shouted to his buddy, who looked down to see everyone on the ground.

"Zidane!" he called back at the three, "Get me down from here!" both of the humans seemed at a bit of a loss as to how to get him down quickly, he was several stories up and even using the stairs might not be quick enough to get to him. "Hurry! The pole is cracking!" Those words were enough to get the two into motion, though.

"Zidane! Get your butt moving and get up there!" The youth was off and at a gallop before the words were even fully out. Baku glanced back up in concern as the audible sound of the pole cracking continued and Cinna screaming met them. Freya didn't wait for things to degenerate any worse, her legs twitching beneath her. A second more to make sure her lance was ready before she launched herself into the air and towards the hanging figure.

It didn't take the trained dragon knight long or much effort to get up to Cinna. Her open arm reaching out to wrap around the pudgy, little man. Freya gritted her teeth and hoped her leap would be enough. Getting herself up there wouldn't be much of a problem, getting someone else up with her was another matter entirely. As her jump slowed, now more thanks to having to catch her rider as well, she didn't think she was going to make it.

With a heave of one arm her spear was sent flying upward over the ledge of the building. Freed of any constraints and in a position to grip on, Freya reached out to catch a precarious hold on the ledge. Dangling like a fish on a hook the warrior woman gritted her teeth, refusing to drop just yet. Cinna didn't help matters much as he struggled in her grasp, trying desperately to find a hold of his own.

"I'm going to heave you up so you can get a grip on the ledge," it took the small man a moment to comprehend before he stopped struggling all together. Taking that as evidence he was ready the woman started to swing her arm. A few twists to build some momentum before she heaved, sending Cinna up just high enough for him to catch hold. 

Freya also used the movement to catch hold with her other hand, securing a grip that didn't leave her hanging…to much. The warrior took a moment to catch her breath, wondering how she wound up in a situation like this. 'Cheer up,' she told herself, 'just consider it to be part of your training.' Another deep breath and she began to pull herself up and to a much safer place.

Her body crumpled once over the lip of the building, her arms burning from having to hang with a struggling deadweight. Closing her eyes she just laid there for a moment, allowing her arms to fully stop tingling. A voice pulled her out of her rest, eyes opening in order to answer it.

"Thanks a lot for savin' me," Cinna told her. The man had already pulled himself up and was standing right in front of her. Freya smiled in response and slowly started to pull herself upright.

"Don't mention it. Just don't do it again," her eyes darted about as she spoke, trying to locate where her spear had been tossed. Spotting where it had landed the warrior moved to retrieve the weapon.

"Well I didn't do it on purpose!" he started to protest. Freya stooped gently to pick up the spear, fully expecting some ridiculous excuse, "Those two men that ran inside pushed me over the edge." The rat-warrior paused at that, her gaze snapping to meet his.

"What men that ran inside?" Cinna shrugged, seeming to be embarrassed to admit to what happened.

"I'm not sure who they were. I was up here working and they pushed me off. I saw them go inside before I fell off the ledge and got caught by the pole,"

"Zidane!" He was probably stuck in there with whoever it was that went inside. Not stopping to explain things to the puzzled Cinna, Freya dashed inside with her spear ready. She didn't know what to expect going into the building, but she couldn't let anything happen tot he cheerful youth that had gone out of his way to help her.

Slowing down after reaching the first landing down the stars the dragon knight looked about to get her bearings. It seemed she was in a little used storage area, dust and cobwebs seeming to be painted everywhere. Several old, rusted chests were strewn about causing a few obstacles for Freya as she went into the room further. It wasn't until she caught the sound of steel on steel that she was able to get a direction.

Not waiting any time Freya ran at a gallop towards the sound, hoping she wasn't going to be to late. Over several cracked boxes and down a series of more stairs brought her to where the sounds of the scuffle were originating. Before her was Zidane holding off both of the much larger men with only a dagger. He was slightly aided in part by the narrow passageway they were all fighting in.

Freya gauged the distance between herself and the closest combatant carefully. Cursing the low ceiling and short distance the dragon warrior none the less readied her spear. Her well-toned legs twitched for a moment in preparation as she calculated the distance one last time. A short leap later and the warrior was again airborne, her spear coming out to the front as she prepared to land point first.

As metal pierced the soft flesh of the invader Freya did her best to control what was sure to be a rough landing. Not disappointed the two tumbled forward, knocking out the legs of the man in front of them. Zidane caught by surprise at the sudden addition of the dragon knight leapt straight up, his tail extending to catch onto a rafter and barely avoiding the tumble.

The three finally came to a crashing halt a few rock hard stairs later, landing in a pile of bruised flesh and jarred bone. Unprepared for exactly what happed to her it took Freya a moment to orient herself. Hand resting against her aching head the woman slowly sat up, only to be met with the cold stare of a steel blade.

"Looks like I'm gonna skin me a rat today," Freya inwardly cursed at her situation. It was bad enough she was going to die never seeing Sir Fratley again, but she had to die to a man with the wit of a garden slug. Just as the brigand was about to move in to finish the job his eyes went dead. He stood there for an agonizingly long time before finally crumpling to the ground.

"Zidane!" Freya exclaimed for must have been the third time in less than an hour. But there stood the youth, grinning from ear to ear, and standing proudly over his kill.

"What? You expected some magic fairly?" the lad moved in, hand yanking his blade out of the man's back. Carefully he cleaned the weapon of the blood before it had a chance to dry and rust. Freya merely chuckled and stood to get her own weapon back.

It was the dawn of a new day and this time around Freya was up in order to meet it. She knew that she had a long road ahead of her yet, and the sooner she was off on it the better. Removing her pack from the wood chest in her room the dragon warrior didn't even give a thought to eating. A nice noon meal would be good enough for her she figured.

Stepping down the stairs and into the main room she had a reason to think otherwise. Behind the counter stood both Pops and Zidane, setting up what seemed to be a good sized breakfast. Cautiously she stepped towards them, unsure if this was for her or someone else. A warm smile from Pops threw her off even more.

"I heard what you did for Cinna," the old man started to explain as he spotted her, "I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier." Freya stood there shocked at the apology, somewhat reluctant as it was. Nodding she crossed over to the bar and responded.

"Don't mention it," her eyes soon went to the warm meal that had been spread out. Her stomach told her it might not be a bad idea to stop and eat.

"We made this for you," Zidane answered her belly's question. Freya blushed lightly as she looked at him, thankful the act was hidden for the most part, "We figured you'd probably head out early today."

"My thanks," she responded, still surprised at the generosity she was being shown. A bag with the telltale sound of coins soon landed next to the earthware bowl on the counter. Freya glanced at it before looking up to Zidane, another surprised look on her face.

"Baku also said to take that back," he continued to explain, "You saved Cinna's life, and that's the at least worth a bag of gold." The warrior started to protest the unneeded act of kindness, but stopped before she could even begin. She could tell by the youth's grinning face that none of them were going to take no for an answer. Freya sat down instead and contended to talk with her new friend and eat a warm meal.

Epilogue

The dragon knight gazed over her shoulder several times at the magnificent city she'd just left. Heading west the woman didn't have her usual look forward attitude she often held in regards to her travels. For the first time in two years she regretted having to leave a place behind. Freya knew she needed to do go forward, she had to find him. But she would return to Lindblum and hopefully she'd find a monkey-tailed young man when she did.


End file.
